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STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 

DEPARTMENT  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION 

TRENTON 

INTRODUCTION 

TO 

THE  TEACHING 

OF 

ELEMENTARY 

AGRICULTURE 

SEPTEMBER,  1912 

m 

STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 

DEPARTMENT  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION 

TRENTON 


INTRODUCTION 
TO 

THE  TEACHING 

OF 

ELEMENTARY 
AGRICULTURE 

SEPTEMBER,  1912 


Foreword 


Because  of  the  growing  interest  in  country  life,  attention  has 
been  directed  to  the  possibilities  of  the  country  school  as  a  means 
of  meeting  new  industrial  and  social  needs. 

The  conviction  is  increasing  that  wherever  practicable,  schools 
should  relate  part  of  their  work  to  the  dominant  activity  or  pur- 
suit of  the  community. 

It  is  believed  that  some  of  the  various  farm  activities  can  fur- 
nish educational  material  which  will  serve  to  train  young  people 
in  clear  thinking,  in  initiative,  in  self-reliance,  and  in  other  funda- 
mental virtues  which  are  in  the  minds  of  teachers,  whatever  the 
school  subject  or  activity. 

There  is  a  more  or  less  well  defined  feeling  that  the  rural  school 
has  too  long  neglected  to  promote  interest  in  country  life.  Again, 
we  are  beginning,  although  tardily,  to  realize  the  economic  neces- 
sity of  using  land  more  intelligently  and  skilfully  in  the  production 
not  only  of  larger  food  supplies,  but  better  ones.  This  has  been 
forced  upon  us  as  urban  population  has  increased,  and  the  prices 
of  food-stuffs  have  risen. 

All  this  is  particularly  true  of  New  Jersey,  in  view  of  its  unique 
position  in  the  heart  of  the  most  populous  region  of  the  country, 
with  great  cities  at  its  borders,  and  a  large  urban  population 
within  its  borders. 

It  may  be  confessed  that  there  are  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
teaching  agriculture.  Few  teachers  have  been  trained  to  properly 
tesch  the  subject,  there  is  an  absence  of  plans  that  have  been 
worked  out  in  school  room  experience  elsewhere  and  there  is  in 
some  quarters  the  traditional  objection  to  undertaking  work 
which  seems  to  be  a  departure  from  customary  lines. 

These  objections  will  disappear  after  a  time;  at  any  rate  they 
are  not  serious  enough  to  prevent  making  a  beginning,  as  indeed 
some  schools  in  the  state  have  already  done. 


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This  bulletin  presents  a  plan  which  it  is  believed  is  a  practicable 
one  for  a  large  number  of  schools.  It  is  not  a  detailed  or  com- 
piehensive  scheme  for  the  whole  subject.  It  is  rather  a  plan  for 
making  the  necessary  beginning  by  means  of  some  concrete  work, 
ciiosen  out  of  a  large  field  of  possible  activities.  The  co-operation 
of  the  community  and  of  the  public  is  needed  in  all  school  work; 
particularly  is  this  true  of  agriculture,  vitally  related  as  it  is  to 
the  life  of  the  community.  Therefore  the  bulletin  suggests  ways 
of  securing  the  interest  of  persons  and  organizations  who  would 
be  likely  to  help. 

No  examinations  are  suggested  to  test  results,  but  a  plan  is 
presented  for  the  rating  of  schools  under  the  direction  of  the 
County  Superintendent. 

Another  point  remains  to  be  emphasized.  It  is  possible  to  re- 
late this  work  to  the  other  activities  of  the  school — to  English, 
to  drawing,  to  arithmetic,  to  spelling,  etc.  Indeed,  experience 
has  demonstrated  that  this  relation  may  be  established.  Work 
in  agriculture,  therefore,  may  re-enforce  the  conventional 
work  of  the  school. 

The  plan  presented  is  somewhat  tentative  or  experimental  in 
character.  Suggestions  for  improvement  from  teachers  and 
others  would  be  cordially  received. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  bulletin  and  the  special  leaflets  men- 
tioned therein,  acknowledgment  is  made  to  Assistant  Commission- 
er Mirick,  who  has  had  the  co-operation  of  Dr.  K.  C.  Davis,  of  the 
State  Experiment  Station,  and  of  various  county  superintend- 
ents. The  advice  of  several  representative  farmers  has  also  been 
sought,  from  whom  suggestions  have  been  received. 

Respectfully, 

CALVIN  N.  KENDALL, 

Commissioner  of  Education, 
September,  1912. 


STATE  OF  NEW  JERSEY 
DEPARTMENT  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION 


The  study  of  agriculture  is  not  compulsory  in  the  schools 
of  the  State.  This  plan  is  suggested  for  those  schools  that 
elect  to  adopt  it,  and  it  is  not  intended  to  displace  work  of  a 
similar  nature  already  successfully  carried  on. 

The  purpose  of  the  course  is  to  engage  the  school  children 
of  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades  (where  it  is  feasible  those 
of  the  sixth  grade  also)  in  a  fundamental  human  activity,  and 
so  to  relate  this  to  the  study  of  books  that  their  activity  may 
become  increasingly  more  intelligent  and  successful. 

I  he  course  does  not  consist  of  a  series  of  information  lessons, 
and  does  not  aim  to  cover  the  field  of  agriculture.  Each  school 
that  decides  to  take  this  course  will  select  one  of  a  few  suggested 
subjects,  and  make  a  study  of  this  subject,  with  the  teacher  as  a 
fellow  student. 

A  guide  for  the  study  will  be  furnished  in  a  "Leaflet"  on  the 
subject  chosen.  This  "Leaflet"  will  contain  suggestions  on 
method  of  study,  on  books  and  bulletins,  and  on  the  definite 
results  that  should  be  worked  for. 

It  is  one  of  the  purposes  of  the  course  to  interest  community 
organizations  in  this  part  of  the  school  work. 

The  whole  or  a  part  of  the  time  after  recess  on  Friday  af- 
ternoons may  be  assigned  for  this  study.  If  the  suggested 
relations  between  the  study  of  agriculture  and  the  other  school 
subjects  are  established,  it  will  frequently  find  its  place  in  the 
arithmetic,  composition  and  reading  recitations. 


General  Plan. 

The  following  plan  of  procedure  is  suggested  to  the  teacher. 


Early  in  the  fall  term  have  a  discussion,  in  which  the  whole 
school  shares,  regarding  the  industrial  activities  of  the  com- 
munity, for  both  men  and  women. 

As  the  discussion  progresses  have  one  of  the  older  pupils  write 
a  list  of  these  activities  on  the  board. 

In  the  discussion,  by  means  of  questions  by  the  teacher,  let 
it  become  clear  that  some  activities  are  more  fundamental  in 
human  life  than  others.  Rewrite  the  list  of  activities  arrang- 
ing in  the  order  of  their  fundamental  importance.  Briefly  pre- 
sent the  historic  sequence  of  civilization  types — hunting,  graz- 
ing, crop  growing,  manufacturing.  If  the  pupils  become  in- 
terested in  the  historic  aspect  borrow  from  the  public  library 
Tylor's  Anthropology— D,  Appleton  &  Co.,  and  leave  it  about 
for  them  to  read  and  to  study  the  pictures. 

in  a  second  lesson  discuss  in  the  same  informal  manner  the 
different  forms  of  agricultural  activity  in  the  community.  This 
will  naturally  lead  to  a  discussion  of  the  development  of  diversity 
and  specialization  in  the  industrial  activity  of  the  world.  Reference 
will  be  made  to  the  development  of  diversified  life  in 
the  history  of  our  own  country,  to  its  growth  in  the  family  life, 
to  the  development  of  machinery,  to  the  department  store,  to  the 
examples  of  diversity  or  specialization  in  the  locality  and  in 
school  systems,  to  the  need  of  diversity  in  training  and  occupation 
for  the  pupils  themselves  because  of  their  individual  differences, 
in  tastes,  ambitions,  capacities. 

Make  a  list,  as  before,  of  the  various  forms  of  agricultural 
activity  covering  the  working  of  the  land,  dairying,  marketing, 
co-operation,  of  organizations  interested  in  agricultural  concerns, 
State  Board  of  Agriculture,  Farmers'  Institutes,  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  State  Experiment  Station — State  Agri- 
cultural College,  (Rutgers),  New  Brunswick,  The  Grange,  any 
local  co-operative  organization,  etc.  Assign  one  of  these  to  each 
member  of  the  upper  classes  for  them  to  learn  about  and  report 
on.  One  or  more  of  the  written  composition  periods  may  be 
given  up  profitably  to  the  composing  and  criticising  of  the 
written  account  of  the  investigations,  and  to  the  writing  of 
letters  of  inquiry  to  be  sent  to  each  of  these  different  organiza- 


tions  for  information  and  literature  regarding  the  field  of  in- 
terest of  each. 

In  a  third  lesson  the  following  plan  of  study  and  work  may  be 
diseased,  and  a  card  like  the  following  should  be  made  out  and 
sent  lo  the  County  Superintendent.  (A  card  for  this  purpose 
is  enclosed.) 


County  Date 

1.  Name  of  school  

2.  Number  of  rooms  in  the  building 

3.  Grades  in  the  room  which  might  take  this 

course 


4.  Number  pupils  who  might  take  this  course 

Boys,  6th  7th  8th total. 

Girls,   6th  7th  8th total. 

5.  Name  of  teacher  .. 


6.  Name  of  President  of  Board  of  Education 

7.  This  school  will  study  Subject  No. 

Name   of    Subject   _ 

8.  This  school  will  not  take  agriculture  this  year. 

(Each  school  should  make  out  this  card  and  post  to  the 
County  Superintendent.     Cross  out  either  7  or  8.) 


On  receipt  of  this  postal  card  the  County  Superintendent  will 
send  an  outline  leaflet  on  the  subject  chosen. 

This  leaflet  will  contain  the  plan  of  work  in  the  subject  chosen 
— suggestions  for  method  of  study,  material  for  study,  relations 
with  ether  subjects,  English  composition,  reading,  arithmetic, 
<liawJi:g,  etc. 

The  Subjects. 

1.     Course  in  General  Experimental  and  Observation  work 
of  a  simple  character. 


8 

(This  course  is  planned  for  schools  that  have  more 
sixth  grade  pupils  than  seventh  and  eighth  grade 
pupils.  In  most  cases  it  will  be  best  to  select  one  of 
the  subjects  that  follow.)  (In  preparation.) 

2.  Alfalfa,  Cow-peas  and  Soy-bean  Growing.    (In  prepara- 
tion.) 

3.  Corn  Growing.     (Now  ready.) 

4.  Market   Gardening    (tomatoes,   lettuce,   radishes,   onions, 

peas  and  other  vegetables.)     (In  preparation.) 

(A  school  may  emphasize  the  study  of  one  or  two  veg- 
etables.) 

5.  White  Potato  Growing.    (In  preparation.) 

6.  Sweet  Potato  Growing.     (In  preparation.) 

7.  Tomato  Growing.    (In  preparation.) 

8.  Poultry  Raising.    (In  preparation.) 

Every  individual,  boy  and  girl,  in  the  seventh  and  eighth 
grades  of  the  school  that  undertakes  this  course  is  expected 
to  take  part  in  the  agricultural  work.  The  girls  need  not 
necessarily  have  a  garden,  but  they  may  have  a  larger  re- 
sponsibility in  the  school  experiments,  in  the  language  work,  the 
arithmetic  and  the  drawing,  the  boys  looking  out  for  the  me- 
chanical phases.  Special  suggestions  for  the  girls'  activity 
will  be  found  in  each  "Leaflet." 

Each  school  will  be  rated  on  the  work  of  the  school.  No  ex- 
amination will  be  given  to  ascertain  how  much  each  pupil  knows, 
ihe  important  question  will  be  "What  (not  how  much)  has  the 
school  as  a  whole  done,  in  intelligent  activity  in  the  field  chosen 
?.nd  in  interesting  the  community  in  its  work?"  This  will  in- 
volve not  only  individual  work  arid  study,  but  a  school  senti- 
ment and  spirit  that  will  keep  each  individual  at  work  and  be 
inlluential  in  interesting  the  community. 

The  record  will  be  made  and  signed  by  the  teacher  on  the 
"Schedule  for  the  Classification  of  Work  in  Elementary  Agricult- 
This  is  to  be  signed  also  by  the  President  of  the 


Board  of  Education  and  sent  to  the  County  Superintendent.   He 
will  appoint  a  committee  to  classify  the  schedules. 

The  school  record  will  not  be  the  basis  for  the  award  of  a 
prize  for  the  "best"  school,  but  will  be  the  basis  for  the  classifi- 
cation of  each  school  in  the  county  as : 

Class  A 

Class  B 

Non-contesting 

Doubtless  the  local  grange  or  other  local  organization  or 
interested  persons  could  be  induced  to  give  a  banner  or  cer- 
tificate to  every  school  that  secured  a  rating  of  Class  A. 

NOTE. — All  of  the  "Leaflets"  are  not  yet  ready  for  distribution. 
Schools  should  indicate  on  the  card  sent  to  County  Superintend- 
ent the  "Subject"  chosen  and  the  "Leaflet"  will  be  sent  as  soon 
as  it  can  be  prepared.  The  study  may  be  begun  at  any  time 
during  the  year. 


Books  not  reined  on  time  are 


50m-7,'16 


MAKERS 

SYRACUSE,  -  N.Y. 

PAT.  JAN.£|,|80« 


YC  56754 


251886 


